North Carolina Folklore Society

The North Carolina Folklore Society was organized in 1912 at the instigation of the American Folklore Society and Frank C. Brown (1870-1943) "for such literary and educational purposes as the study of folklore, and especially the collection, preservation, and publication of the folklore of North Carolina." Brown was secretary-treasurer, 1913-1943. He was succeeded by Arthur Palmer Hudson (1892-1978), who served until 1964. Hudson established the Society's journal, "North Carolina Folklore," in 1954 and edited it until 1963.

From the description of North Carolina Folklore Society records, 1912-1999 [manuscript]. WorldCat record id: 26041081

The North Carolina Folklore Society was founded in 1913 to promote the appreciation and study of North Carolina's folklife. In 1948, the Society began a state folklore journal. The Society also holds annual meetings and awards, provides a state folklife information center and resources center, prints a resource listing and posts a web site.

From the description of N.C. Folklore Society collection of audiocassettes, 1988 [sound recording]. (Western North Carolina Library Network). WorldCat record id: 232549575

The North Carolina Folklore Society was organized in the fall of 1912 at the instigation of the American Folklore Society and Frank C. Brown (1870-1943). The first annual meeting was held on 24 March 1913. According to the Constitution (amended 1970), the Society shall be organized and operated ... for such literary and educational purposes as the study of Folklore, and especially the collection, preservation, and publication of the folklore of North Carolina.

The Society's first two secretary-treasurers strongly influenced its development. Frank C. Brown held the position from 1913 to 1943. He was succeeded by Arthur Palmer Hudson (1892-1978), who served until 1964. Hudson guided the Society in its first major publication, The Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore . He also established the Society's journal, North Carolina Folklore, in 1948. Hudson edited this journal until 1963.

Daniel W. Patterson succeeded Hudson as secretary-treasurer, serving from 1965 to 1966. Later secretary-treasurers have been Richard Walser, Leonidas Betts, Harry C. West, and Thomas McGowan. Editors of North Carolina Folklore (the title changed to North Carolina Folklore Journal with volume 21, 1973) have included Guy Owen, Richard Walser, Leonidas Betts, Rogers Whitener, and Thomas McGowan.

Further information on the early organization of the North Carolina Folklore Society is available in Theodore Barry Buermann's A History of the North Carolina Folklore Society, M.A. thesis, English, University of North Carolina, 1963.

From the guide to the North Carolina Folklore Society Records, 1912-1999, (Southern Historical Collection)